


To Love a Queen

by Asdrator



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, F/F, Marriage Proposal, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romance, lucia voice: girls r hot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22958872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asdrator/pseuds/Asdrator
Summary: When Lucia was summoned by Queen Elincia to the gardens of Castle Crimea, she never expected the meeting would end with a proposal.
Relationships: Elincia Ridell Crimea/Luchino | Lucia
Kudos: 19





	To Love a Queen

No matter how many times she saw the gardens of Castle Crimea, Lucia did not think she’d ever tire of them. Not now, certainly, after all the war the country had seen, all the battles she had bled in. At the very least, it was a nice change of pace, not to mention scenery, after the Daein invasion four years ago, and the war with Begnion and the goddess herself one year ago. Lucia breathed in the lovely scent of Melior’s flowers once more, then continued on her path. Gorgeous as the castle gardens were, an even more beautiful lily than these had summoned her here.

Sitting down under the shade of a tree along the path, Lucia finally spotted that familiar figure. Her sworn liege, and dearest friend, Elincia Ridell Crimea. “There you are, milady.” Lucia said with a small smile, moving to sit beside her. “Did you need me for something, or did you simply desire my presence?”

“Both, to some extent.” Elincia admitted, her expression serious. This made Lucia frown with worry; Elincia was wise beyond her years, so if something troubled her, then it must be troubling indeed. Perhaps a war had begun once again? It was an unlikely possibility given the devastation across the continent from the last one, but it was nevertheless not a possibility that could be disregarded. Before Lucia could offer any advice, however, Elincia cobtinued speaking. “Lucia...” Elincia continued gently. “You’re my dearest friend in the world, and I appreciate all that you do for me. That said, could you take better care of yourself?”

This request caught Lucia completely off guard. “Take... better care of myself?” Lucia repeated, her confusion evident. “I am still alive and healthy, as you can see, so I’m afraid I don’t understand your intent. What do you mean by that request?”

“Alive only by the skin of your teeth, and healthy only to the blind. Lucia, you fool...” Elincia seemed both worried and upset, though for the life of her Lucia couldn’t understand why. “You were very nearly killed in Ludveck’s rebellion, certainly you know that as well as anyone. You hardly sleep and barely eat because you spend so much of the day worrying about me needlessly. Just how cruel can you be, to be so reckless?”

Smiling apologetically, Lucia shook her head in refusal. “I’m afraid that’s the only order from you I cannot obey, milady. You are far more important to Crimea, and to me as well, than I ever will be. If I can sacrifice any part of my well being to make you safer, it isn’t a question of why, only a question of how.”

Upon hearing that, Elincia looked directly into Lucia’s eyes, a burning, piercing gaze that Lucia nevertheless found herself completely unable to look away from. “Do I strike you as the kind of woman to sacrifice her friends for her own safety?” Before she could interrupt, Lucia found a hand put to her mouth by Elincia, who continued. “You are just as important to me as Crimea itself. Would you starve Crimea to ensure I am fed? I should hope you do not think me such a tyrant.” After a moment’s hesitation, Elincia finally removed her hand from Lucia’s mouth, though Lucia found she had not minded its presence. If only the queen’s touch was ever more than ephemeral.

“With all due respect, milady,” Lucia began mildly. “If you consider me as important as Crimea or yourself, you should reconsider. I am just one woman, while Crimea is a country of many people and you are the center of its government. It is not tyrannical to think those things hardly compare. As such, while I am indeed your friend, I am first and foremost a sword for you to wield.” Being a valuable tool in Elincia’s eyes would be enough for her, Lucia told herself. There was no reason to reach for anything more. Even as she thought this, she didn’t believe it.

“You... you complete fool...” Elincia’s piercing eyes quivered and water appeared in their corners. Try as she might, Lucia couldn’t understand what had happened to make Elincia cry. Had she said something wrong? “You’re not just some sword or some woman, you’re Lucia Delbray, the dearest person to me in this world. If it weren’t for you, Ludveck would be on the throne now instead of me, and I would either be dead or in a prison. Why do you refuse to recognize your own worth, both to me and to everyone else?”

For once in her life, not knowing how to respond, Lucia was rendered speechless. Her usual easy smile was replaced with a tight-lipped grimace. The dearest person to her in the world?That couldn’t be right. No matter how much she wanted to, recognizing her own worth- recognizing how irreplaceable she was to the queen- would mean acknowledging that her constant and unshakable devotion to Elincia wasn’t just the admiration of a retainer for their liege. It would mean accepting that what she felt for Elincia was love, felt so deeply and so strongly that it sometimes brought great pain. Lucia wondered exactly when she had fallen in love with Elincia, how many years she had spent forcing herself to see it only as strong loyalty. 

None of that mattered now, though. Lucia knew she could never be a suitable match for Elincia, so she would have to be satisfied with continuing to serve her and burying her feelings deep inside her heart. That was alright. So long as she could be near Elincia, she could keep ignoring her own emotions. Everything would work out for the best that-

Two small but firm hands suddenly grasped one of Lucia’s own, interrupting her thoughts. Looking back to Elincia, she saw that tears now stained the queen’s cheeks. “Are you not going to answer me, Lucia? About why you keep neglecting yourself?” Elincia asked, her voice trembling. Without waiting for a response, the queen kept speaking. “I want you to live a long life at my side, but you’ll become ill if you carry on like this. Please, Lucia, if there’s anything I can do to convince you to take care of yourself as well, just tell me.”

Her heart softening, Lucia sighed. No, there was no suppressing this feeling now. It only grew stronger with each passing week. “As you wish, Elincia.” Lucia finally answered using the queen’s name. “Something that you can do to convince me to take better care of myself, as you ask...” Her cheeks reddening, Lucia reached her free hand out and placed it gently against Elincia’s cheek. “Is give me your hand in marriage.”

Now it was Elincia’s turn to be stunned into silence. For a few long, painful moments, Lucia was afraid she’d reject her, or laugh at her, or otherwise humiliate her. When she saw a deep blush spread across Elincia’s face, however, Lucia realized she should have had more faith in her. “Yes, that sounds wonderful,” Elincia said breathlessly, her eyes wide. “All this time, I thought you would not return my feelings, dearest Lucia. Why didn’t you ask sooner?” 

With a small laugh, Lucia drew closer to Elincia, bringing their foreheads together. “For the same reason as you, loveliest Elincia. I can scarcely believe someone as beautiful as you would love me in return.” Moving her free hand from Elincia’s cheek to her hair, Lucia began running her fingers through the queen’s green locks. “May I?” At Elincia’s nod, Lucia brought their lips together, passionately kissing her queen to make up for all the years they had missed.

Despite herself, Lucia laughed on the inside. All the nobles like Ludveck who had thought a king would be better suited to rule Crimea than a queen would soon have two queens, and there wasn’t anything they could do to keep the two apart.


End file.
